Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.
Chapter 20 : Someone called ... Bill Part-2
"So you came here looking for Bill? Can I ask you why? And how you know him?" asks the man, standing up from his chair.
"I never said that I know him, or that his name was Bill. I just asked for a mechanic, and that James guy, from your barn, told me that you have one here," answers Ellie, trying not to arouse suspicion.
"Okay, so any particular reason why you need the services of a mechanic?" asks the man.
Ellie looks at the man, annoyed. Shit, why is this man asking so many questions? "Do you interrogate all the people who come here like this, or is it just me? Because I just came here on business, and since I arrived, all of your people have been treating me like shit," says Ellie, standing up from the chair she's sitting in.
"Look, girl, I'm in charge here, so I run the questions as I like it, okay? I just want to make sure that you haven't come here to make any trouble. So it's better for you if you just answer the questions, and everything is going to be fine," says the man, moving close to her.
Ellie looks at the man while she tries to think of something to say. She doesn't want him to know that she knows Bill, or the real reason why she is in there. Ellie doesn't know what Bill is going to do or say when she asks him for Joel. Bill didn't like her very much the last time they saw each other, so she needs to play this right if she wants him to tell her where Joel is.
"Okay, fine, I will tell you what you need to know, so there won't be any trouble. I'm part of a small group that's traveling to the east, but we got attacked by some infected. Some of us managed to escape, but we lost all our horses, except the one I arrived with. After that, we found some house to stay in for a few days, and found a truck at one of them that was in good condition. But we need some parts fixed, so one of the men that was with us told our leader that he knows a place where we can find a good mechanic who can fix the parts."
"And they sent you here alone? And do you expect me to believe that?" asks the man, looking at Ellie with a dubious expression.
"Well, that is the truth; if you want to believe it or not, that's your problem, and they didn't send me here alone - I was with the man that knows about this place. But we were attacked two days ago, and he didn`t make it," answers Ellie.
"Okay, I'm going to believe what you say… for now," says the man, looking at her with suspicious eyes.
But at least that makes Ellie feel a little relief. The man turns around and goes back to sitting in his chair.
"But I think that you don't have much luck, because Bill and a few men left town for a few days to find some parts we need."
"Yeah, I know. That boy… umm... Al, told me that already," says Ellie to him.
"Okay then, so if you have that information, you have two choices here: leave, or wait for him to come back. I don't recommend the first one because it's already dark, and it's going to be very cold out there, and dangerous."
"Well, I think I'm going to wait then, so if you have a room that I can rent for a few days, that would be great," says Ellie, standing in front of him.
"Okay, that's great, so I assume that you have a way to pay for all that, right?" asks the man.
"Yes I do, so you don't need to worry about that," answers Ellie.
"Well, that's great, girl - I'll call someone to take you to the room. And while we wait for him, let me explain some of the rules we have here, and discuss the payment," says the man, taking out a radio and making the call.
After 15 minutes, Mr. Grand explains the rules of the town to Ellie, at least the ones she needs to know, since she's just a visitor. Then a young girl arrives and guides Ellie to her room. The girl is 17 years old, and explains to Ellie how things work in the rooms. She tells her that they have power and hot water, but that it's limited, and costs extra. The girl gives Ellie a list of the prices and what she can use to pay, as well as a handmade map of the town that indicates where the stores are.
Ellie thanks the girl and gives her a kitchen knife as a tip. Then she closes the door and puts her backpack on the supposed bed. The room isn't big, but she has her own bathroom; the mattress doesn't have any frame, but it's clean, and has clean sheets. There's also a wooden chair and a small table in one of the corners. The room isn't much, but it's going to keep her warm for a few days, and at least it doesn't smell bad, either, so she can get some rest.
Ellie needs a shower, and to think about what she is going to tell Bill to convince him to tell her where Joel is. Well, that's if he knows at least where he could be; she knows that even if he owed Joel a favor before, that favor was repaid the last time they were in Lincoln, since Bill gave Joel the truck. Ellie goes through her backpack and takes a cable out. She puts the chair against the door and ties it up with the cable. She is going to take a shower, so it's better to be extra cautious; she doesn't know what kind of business they're doing here, or if they have an extra key for the room.
After Ellie makes sure that the room is secure, she goes to the bathroom, taking her backpack with her, and closes that door there, too. Ellie takes out the clean clothing she's going to use along with her 9mm gun, and puts that on top of the toilet. She's going to be sure to have a gun close, if someone decides to enter her room while she's in the shower. After everything is ready, Ellie takes off her clothes and puts them in the sink to wash them out later.
When Ellie opens the shower and starts to feel the warm water hitting her body, she gets reminded of Jackson, and what she's been missing for all these months that she's been looking for Joel. She wishes that all of this were different, that she was back in Jackson with Joel, Tommy, and Maria. She misses Jenna too, and Brad, Bob, and some of her new friends.
She already misses Dylan, and even Alice; she didn't talk to her for long, but she looked like a good girl for Dylan. Ellie hopes that they didn't get too mad after she left them, and that they found their way back to Jackson. She knows that it wasn't the best way to do this, but it was better for them; she knew from the beginning that this was something that she needed to do alone. After 10 minutes, the water starts getting cold, so Ellie needs to finish her shower soon. When Ellie finishes, she puts her clean clothes on, and washes the dirty ones that she put in the sink.
After Ellie finishes with all she needs to do, she goes to the mattress and lays down. She keeps her backpack close, and her gun under the pillow. She starts to look at the ceiling to try to get some sleep, but even though she's so tired, it's difficult for her. Since Joel's been gone, Ellie's been having trouble getting to sleep, not only from the nightmares… she just misses him so much. After an hour, Ellie grabs the pillow and puts it in between her legs and arms, hugging it. She starts to think of Joel, and tries to imagine that the pillow is him. She knows that that is so stupid and childish, but sometimes it works to get her asleep more faster. It seems that it works this time because after a few minutes, she falls asleep, and luckily for her, she doesn't have any nightmares all night.
*Two days later*
For the last two days, Ellie's been waiting for Bill to come back to town. She's been checking her horse constantly, even though James says he's been taking care of him for the last two days. She also checks out all the stores in town; she finds it incredible that this place that is smaller that Jackson has so many places to trade and eat. Al has been a big help on showing her the town, and helping her to make good trades, and she somehow feels so excited. But when Al comes to her room that morning and tells her the group that went out with Bill came back last night, she's really excited.
"I don't know why you're so excited about this. He's just a mechanic. Yeah, I know that he's good, but-" Al stops talking as soon as he sees Ellie looking at him.
"I know that this is going to sound strange to you, but what that man can do for me is going to change my life."
"The thing you need to get fixed is that important to you?" asks Al curiously.
"You have no idea," answers Ellie, smiling.
They continue walking on the street, until they arrive were Bill's workshop is. The boy tells Ellie to wait until he talks to him first, so Ellie stays outside while the boy goes inside and starts to call Bill.
"Hey… Bill, are you in here?... Bill!... Hey, mister… you have a new customer… Bill... BILL!"
"Shut up!... I heard you the first 5 times, you don't need to yell. Fuck, how many times have I told you not to come here and start to yell like a maniac. And I hope that you haven't been touching anything, you know that I don't like that," Bill starts to say from inside the room behind a counter.
"Sorry, I just wanted to make sure that you were back there and not in your house, and I haven't been touching anything," says the boy as Bill walks out from the back room, cleaning some oil off his hand.
"Okay, what's the emergency, boy? We just came back and I need to start fixing the water supply generators. And you know that I don't like to be interrupted," says Bill, stopping in front of the counter and looking at the boy.
"Well, we have a new visitor in town who needs some car parts fixed. She's been waiting for you for 2 days," explains the boy to Bill.
"Ha, car parts? I don't remember fixing any of those in years. So where is this new customer you speak of?" says Bill with some curiosity.
"She's outside - hey Leia… you can come in now… don't worry if he's a little grumpy - he's always like that," says the boy as he gestures to Ellie to come inside.
"Leia?... ha, ha… what kind of stupid name is that?" asks Bill sarcastically.
"Well, maybe it's the same kind of stupid name as Bill," says Ellie as soon as she enters the workshop.
"Wait a minute… do I know you?" asks Bill, trying to get a better look at Ellie.
"I don't think so. It's the first time that she's come to town, so I-" the boy starts to speak when Ellie moves close to him and puts a hand on his shoulder, interrupting him.
"Al, can you wait outside? I need to discuss this alone with him, okay?" says Ellie to the boy.
"I don't understand why you need to talk with him alone... is there a problem?" asks Al.
"No! I just need to talk to him alone, so can you go outside and wait… please?" pleads Ellie, pulling a sad face.
"Okay, fine, but I don't understand why," says Al, as he walks toward the door of the workshop
and goes outside.
"Hey, why did you send the kid out? And what do you mean that you need to talk to me alone - who are you? And what do you want?" asks Bill, a little mad, but with some curiosity.
"I`m a little surprised that you don't remember me, after all that happened in your little town," says Ellie, moving closer to him.
"Wait a second!... You're that little brat that was with Joel 4 years ago!" says Bill, now a little surprised.
"Yeah, that's me. Glad that you remember me now, because we need to talk."
"I have nothing to say to you, except get out of my workshop, you little shit. You and Joel ruined my life when you came to my town and messed up everything," says Bill, now more furious.
"We didn't ruin anything - you owed Joel a favor, and we got out of there after you fixed the truck. So I don't know how we ruined your life. Because as far as I can see and hear, your life is better here than that fucking town of yours, full of infected."
"I was happy there: nobody to bother me, I had that town the way I wanted, and had everything under control. Until Joel and you came, and destroyed all my traps and let them loose. A few months after you two left, everything got out of control and more infected came in, so I had to leave the place, and do my business elsewhere."
"That place was full of infected - did you think that you would hold them off for long? So you can't blame us for something that was going to happen anyway."
"I lived there for more than 5 years. I did my business there without a problem. Anyway, I don't need to give you any explanation - what are you doing here? And don't try to tell me that you came to repair something, because I'm not going to believe that bullshit," says Bill while he takes some items from the counter and starts to work on them.
"I'm looking for Joel, so I need you to tell me where he is," says Ellie, stopping in front of the counter.
Bill stops what he's doing and looks at her with a surprised expression. "Are you fucking kidding me? If he got rid of you, why do you want to find him?" asks Bill.
"He didn't get rid of... me!... he just left me with his brother, and said that he was coming back. But he didn't, so now I'm looking for him," says Ellie, a little furious now
"Sorry to bust your hopes, kid, but if he left you with his brother, he wasn't planning on coming back. So my opinion is that you should go back to wherever you came from. Because you're not going to find him," Bill says to her coldly, then turns around and starts to walk toward the back room.
"I don't care what your opinion is. I'm going to find him, and I know that you know where he is. So you`re going to tell me," says Ellie, almost yelling.
Bill stops, but doesn't look at Ellie. "I don't have to tell you shit, so go back home, kid. I've known him and Tess for a long time; he's like me - he likes to work alone. He's always carrying that rage inside of him… he made that work, when he was with Tess, so we did some business together. But now that Tess is gone, he's going to get back to doing his business alone. When he came to my town with you, you were only a job, so why do you think that he needs you?" says Bill to her.
"FUCK YOU! You don't know anything about Joel and me, so stop giving me that crap, and just tell me where he is."
"You better get out of here, before my patience goes. I thought that you two died after you left my town, and the last thing I need is for you to come here and remind me that you two are still alive."
"Well, if you don't want me to be here, just tell me where I can find him. Because I'm sure that he came to you for help," says Ellie, trying to convince Bill to tell her where Joel is.
"You've wasted your time here, girl. He's probably dead by now. So why don't you do yourself a favor and go back to wherever you came from," says Bill and starts to walk again.
"He's not dead, you fucking fatass, and I know that you know something, so why don't you just tell me and I'll get out of here."
"I can't help you, kid, so it's better if you get out of this town now," says Bill before he goes into the back room and closes the door.
Ellie quickly jumps over the counter and walks toward the door. When she is in front of it, she tries to open it, but it's locked. Then she starts to knock on the door very hard, and starts to call Bill out.
After a few minutes, Ellie starts to plead for his help. "Please, I need to find him, and if you don't want me here, why don't you just tell me where he is and I'll go," says Ellie while she puts her head against the door.
"I can't help you, kid, so you... just go away, before I call security and make them throw you out of here by force," says Bill from inside the room.
Ellie tries to make him come out of there, even trying to talk nice to him, knocking on the door, and even begging for his help. She doesn't like to do that, especially with Bill, and that makes her think that he is so arrogant, that he's enjoying this.
"This isn't over - I will get what I need from you, do you hear me?" says Ellie, finally giving up for now.
Ellie moves away from the door and starts to walk out of the place. But not without telling him that she is going to come back, and that she is not going to leave town until he tells her where Joel is. Also, she trashes some of the things in there on her way out.
"That was a little interesting!" says Al as soon as Ellie gets out of the place and passes him. Ellie looks at him with a surprised expression on her face.
Ellie notices that he's leaning against the wall close to the door. "What are you still doing here?" asks Ellie, getting close to the young man.
"Well, you told me to wait outside, not to go away," answers the boy with a little smile on his face.
"I don't care what I said - it's rude to try to hear people talking through the wall. And I don't like to be spied on," says Ellie, a little mad at the boy.
"I didn't need to do that - you two were talking so loud that it's a miracle that no one else heard all that. You're lucky that this street isn't very busy. So you two know each other?"
Ellie moves close to him and puts one hand on his chest, pressing him hard against the wall of the workshop. "Listen, you! Don't try to fuck with me, or I'm going to hurt you bad. How much did you hear… ummm? "
"Wow… wow… take it easy, girl. I wasn't trying to spy on you, and I don't care if you two have some history. But if you came here because Bill has some information you need, maybe I can help you with that," says the boy to Ellie while he puts his hands up in a surrender position.
"What you heard in there is none of your business, and if you say something to anyone, you and I are going to have a problem, do you get that?" says Ellie, releasing her hand from his chest. Then she starts to walk away from the boy, warning him not to follow her.
A few minutes after that, the boy moves away from the workshop wall and looks at the door, then back at Ellie, now in the distance. After that, he starts to follow her, until she walks into an empty alley. As soon as Ellie enters, the boy walks fast to follow her in, and stops when he sees Ellie waiting for him.
Ellie quickly grabs him by the shirt, and pushes him against a wall. "What part of not following me don't you understand? Look, I don't want to hurt you, or cause any problems here, so it's going to be better if you forget all that you heard in there, okay! And stop following me, I mean it," says Ellie, looking him in the eye, very pissed off now.
"Look, I'm sorry, it was not my intention to hear all that, or cause you any trouble. But if you want any information from Bill, he is not going to tell you anything, okay? I know him, since he arrived here, and he doesn't like or talk with anybody here, except if it's something that has to do with his work," says the boy calmly.
"Well, I don't care - I know that that fat man is going to talk, sooner or later. So I'm going to keep bothering him until he tells me what I need," says Ellie while she moves away from Al and starts to walk away again.
"Look, that's not going to work, and if you piss him off, he is going to talk to Mr. Grand, and convince him to force you to leave the town," says the boy, walking after her.
"You don't need to worry about that - I will find a way to make him talk," says Ellie without looking at him.
"Let me help you… please! I know how you can make him tell you what you need to know," says the boy, stopping in front of her.
"You don't know when to quit, do you? Why do you want to help me? You don't even know me. We just met 2 days ago, so why do you insist on helping me?" says Ellie, looking him in the eye.
"Well… I had a little sister, when I was a kid... she looked a little like you. She died six years ago, and I can't do anything to help her. But maybe I can do something to help you, if this is so important to you. Look, maybe this is something you need to do yourself, but let me help you - I know people here and I know Bill's weakness."
"Look, I'm sorry about you sister, but I don't know you, so how can I know that you're telling me the truth?"
"I know that I'm a stranger to you, but you can trust me. I know there's only one thing that is going to make him talk, but it's going to cost you… a lot!" says the boy, waiting for her reaction.
"Well, I still have a few things that I can trade, so that's not going to be a problem," answers Ellie.
"Okay then, I need to talk with someone, so I'll look for you later in your room, okay?" says the boy to her, and walks away.
Ellie watches him go, and starts to walk toward the inn. Great, now I need to trust this boy with whatever he is going to do... I hope it's worth it, says Ellie to herself.
(Later at night in the Inn)
"No… no… no way, I can't do that, are you crazy?" says Ellie, pacing back and forth in front of the boy.
"I'm sorry, but it's the only thing he's going to accept," says Al while he tries to make Ellie calm down.
"There must be another way, or another thing I can give him. Maybe if I talk to him I can make him change his mind," says Ellie, looking at him now.
"I already tried that, and he doesn't want anything else. He is the only one that has what you need."
"Well, maybe I can steal it!... yeah, if you know where he hides those, I can come up with a plan, you know," says Ellie, looking at Al with a desperate expression.
"I don't think that's going to work either... this man is powerful here, and the last one that tried to steal from him… the sheriff never found his body, and no one knows where he hides the good stuff he has in his store."
"Fuck!... but why the hell does he want my horse? You told me that he never goes out of town, so what the hell does he need a horse for?" says Ellie, stopping at the window and looking outside.
"He didn't tell me the reason, but I know that he collects a lot of rare things. So maybe he just wants a horse now. I don't know, but I can assure you that he has what we need to make Bill talk."
"I need to think about this... can you come back in the morning? I'll let you know my answer by then." After that, Ellie lays down on the mattress and starts to look at the ceiling.
*Next day in the morning*
Ellie wakes up at the first sign of light, but she barely slept that night, thinking about what she's going to do. Al came to her room later that morning to see what decision she made. After Ellie tells him what she's going to do, they both walk to the barn and wait for the man to complete the deal.
"I am so sorry, boy… I don't want to do this, but I don't have any other choice. I need to find him and this is the only way to do it... I hope you understand that. But don't worry, I'm going to make sure that this man treats you right, I promise," says Ellie to her horse, while she passes her hand along the side of the horse, then she moves to caress his head.
"The man is here... I'm sorry that you have to do this. I wish that we could find a better way to do this. I can see now how much you love that horse," says the boy, walking close to her.
"Yeah, I saw him born, and gave him his name... I always took care of him, so I want you to promise me that you're going to make sure that this man doesn't hurt him, or use him for food, okay?" says Ellie, looking now at the boy.
"I promise - I already told him your condition for the trade, and he agreed, so I'm going to make sure that he honors it," says the boy, putting one hand on her shoulder. Ellie doesn't know why, but she trusts him.
"Okay, thanks. I will trust you, so I hope that I don't have to come back here and hunt you down," says Ellie to him, then she goes back to pet the horse and say goodbye. "Do you hear that, Lucky, you're going to be alright, and I promise that as soon as I can, I will come back for you, okay?"
"No need to be worried, girl, your horse is in good hands... he's a good specimen, so the last thing I want is for him to get hurt," says an old man entering the barn.
"Yeah, you'd better make sure that he will be okay, mister, because I'm only doing this cuz you don't give me any other choice. But I will be coming back for him one of these days to buy him back. So it's better if you keep your part of the deal. I have powerful friends, so don't make me regret this. Because we can make your life so miserable," says Ellie, looking now at the man.
"Ha,ha, ha… yeah, I will think about that when you`re gone, girl. But I think that it's going to be a pleasure to do business with you again," says the man, walking close to the horse and putting a hand on him.
"Okay, now where is your part of the deal?" asks Ellie with a serious tone in her voice.
"Don't worry, girl, I am a man of my word… well, most of the time," says the man with a grin on his face. Then he takes out a radio and makes a call. "Okay, Jeff, you can bring the box to the barn now."
After a few minutes, another man enters the barn with a small box in his hand.
"There you go. I was holding that for a special occasion, so I hope that you make good use of them. They are maybe the last ones in this world, who knows... it cost me a lot to get them," says the man with a little smile on his face.
After they finish their business, Ellie says her final goodbye to her horse and goes. She is trying to hold back some tears, so that the boy doesn't see her like that. After that, Ellie and the boy arrive at Bill's workshop, and enter. As always, he isn't at the front counter, so Ellie proceeds to call him out.
"Hey! Fat man, we need to talk, so why don't you just come out of that room, so we can talk," says Ellie with a thick voice.
"What the hell are you doing back here? I thought I told you to never come back. I don't have anything to say to you," says Bill, moving close to the counter, on the other side.
"Well, maybe this will change your mind," says Ellie while she opens the small box, pulls out 2 bottles, and sets them on the counter.
*Back to the present, in the cabin*
Ellie finishes telling the story to Joel while he's sitting in a chair, close to the generator. Joel quickly stands up and goes where Ellie was sitting, seeing a few tears falling down her cheek. Then he pulls her up from the chair and hugs her as hard as he can. Ellie hugs him back.
"Shit! Ellie, I'm so sorry that you had to do that. I know how much you love that horse, and you gave him up just to make Bill tell you where to find me!" says Joel, kissing her on the head.
"Yeah, I knew that you were going to think that that was so stupid. But I love you more than I love that horse. I know that I'm going to miss him, but it was the only way to find you," says Ellie with more tears coming out of her eyes.
"Fuck! Ellie, why do you have to be like that... it makes me feel like an asshole. All those things you had to do just to get back to me," says Joel with a sad expression.
"Being in your arms like this, it was worth it... I love you, Joel. And I never would change all that, if I had to do it again," says Ellie, hugging Joel harder, like she wants to make sure that he's not going to disappear, and find that all this was a dream.
"I love you too, kiddo, and I'm always going to thank whoever put you in my path. Also, I'm going to give a piece of my mind to that asshole, the next time I see him. I can't believe that he told you how to find me after you gave him a bottle of Puerto Rican Rum," says Joel with a little indignation.
"Well, they were 2 bottles, but I'm never going to understand how you love that stuff so much."